Mawson hopes for better results

Craig Mawson has told the Hereford Times that he understands what Hereford United players must have felt when they went out of the play-offs on penalties last season. He was in the same position when at Morecambe the previous season.

"It's not the best of memories. I wanted to get there again and right the wrongs from two years ago.

"At Morecambe, we finished second and got knocked out on penalties. It was a horrible feeling and you feel useless. There's nothing you can do about it and it ruins your summer.

"You become a pain in the neck to live with to your family and it's just a horrible way to lose a game and to finish your season. You play 42 games to get there and to go out that way leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

"The lads who were here last year want to right the wrongs from last year and go one better than they did then."

Mawson feels that the Bulls have an excellent chance especially given their recent form.

"The last seven or eight results is what we are about.

"We are solid at the back and keeping clean sheets, giving very little away and going forward we are creating chances. If you can do that at any level then you are on to a formula that is going to bring success.

"Every man knows their job within the team structure, we defend from the front to the back and attack from the back to the front.

"We are getting a little bit of luck here and there, the rub of the green, but we felt that we didn't have that earlier in the season."

Meanwhile Andy Tretton has also spoken to the Hereford Times about that moment when referee Andy Woolmer pulled a red card from his pocket during the play-off game against Aldershot last year.

"Initially I thought that he had pulled out the wrong card and I did ask him that. To be honest, I couldn't argue I was that stunned. The ironic thing is that he is refereeing in the League where we should have been this year.

"It's been a long time since that happened and I've got over it now but over the summer I couldn't really get it out of my mind. But once the season started I forgot about.

"It just takes time to get it out of your system. These things happen and at the end of the day, while it is very important to everyone, it is just a football match.

"Like England in Euro 2004, you just have to put the disappointment out of your mind and get on with it. If you let it live with you then it will drive you mad so you just have to move on."

Tretton has recently returned to the Hereford United squad after a period out with injury.

"In comparison with last season's play-off side, I think we are a bit more disciplined defensively. Last year we just seemed to kill teams off and had one of those years, similar to Barnet this year, where we scored goals from all over the pitch. We had Steve Guinan up front, similar to Barnet's Giuliano Grazioli this year and that can make a hell of a difference.

"We haven't really scored that many goals this year but have been tighter defensively and that gives people confidence because they know we are not really going to concede and know that we can always nick one on the break."

"It will be a good chance to put things right," he continued. "But it's not about me, it's about the team and we have a tremendous team spirit as can be seen from the tough run in that we have had.

"We have had some tough recent games, such as at Stevenage and Halifax where we would probably have settled for a point before the match. But luckily we managed to win them because if we had not then we could have been struggling.

"So we can go in to the play-offs with great confidence."

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